Category: FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2021

From Pastor’s Desk is a weekly admonition to believers! It has the purpose of weekly edification of the saints, preparing them for a fruitful walk with God every week

Categories
FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

When you need to move on | Pst. J.O. Lawal

from pastor's desk

Date: December 26, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 34

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forevermore from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great delight that I welcome you to the last week of the year. And I pray that your heart will be equipped and strengthened by the Spirit of God to move from where you are now to where God wants you to be in the year we are moving into. Amen.

When the children of Israel came close to entering the land of Canaan, which God had promised to their forefathers, He said this to them through Moses: “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore he would give to your fathers — to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob — and to their descendants after them.”” (Deut 1:6-8NIV)

What was the first thing the Lord brought to the notice of those Israelites? It was that they had stayed long enough where they were and needed to move on. That means God is interested in our advancement. He is interested in our progress and success in life. He does not want us to be stagnant in life or to be satisfied with too little when we could have more. So, if our lives have been stagnant and have not experienced much progress or advancement this year or in the last couple of years, we need to reach out for Him to intervene and show us what is wrong or why this has been so. But to assume or conclude that it is His will for us to be stagnant in life is to totally miss it.

As we see in the case of those Israelites that He brought out from Egypt, there came a time in which He told them plainly that they needed to move on. But where were they to move on to? It is easy to determine to move on in life. But it is not every time that people move on that their movement results in true progress or comfort. It is only those who move on in accordance with God’s purpose for their lives that will find their moving on rewarding.

So, if you see yourself as having stayed too long where you are and in need of moving on, don’t just move on in any direction that you please. Instead, see to it that you move on in line with God’s purpose for your life. And if God has already made His purpose known to you about the need for you to move on and where to move on to, then, lose no time to do so.

Again, as we see in the case of those Israelites, it was God that told them that it was time to move on. Also, it was He that told them where to move on to. And where were they to move on to? It was the land that He had promised to their forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey, that they were to move on to occupy. Unfortunately, though God had said that the time had come for them to possess this land and that He had already given it to them, they refused to go in at that time and possess it. Therefore, they ended up using the next forty years of their lives wandering and perishing in the wilderness, without possessing and enjoying what had already been given to them. (Cf. Num 13-14; Deut 1)

Now I am sure you do not want to use the year we are about to move into wandering through life without possessing or enjoying what God has prepared for you. So, you need to be ready to move to possess whatever God has already told you is yours to possess. There may indeed be giants in the land. But as long as God has already told you that it is yours, just go in and take possession of it, for He will certainly take care of all the giants there for you. Then don’t just move on to take of anything simply because you feel you could. Instead, through prayers, meditating on God’s word and seeking godly counsel make certain that whatever you are going for is what God has chosen for you. That will not only keep you from wasting your labour and devotion on what will never work, it will also make it possible for you to enjoy whatever you possess. And may the Spirit of God lead and strengthen you to do what is right about this matter, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Happy new year in advance.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Categories
FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Remember to do them good | Pastor J.O. Lawal

Pastor J.O. Lawal
Pastor J.O. Lawal

Date: December 12, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 32

Beloved: grace and mercy be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to another week of the month of December 2021. I pray that God will open your eyes in it to see all the good you are supposed to do for others in the year that you are yet to do and also enable you to do it without delay, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now I offered that prayer for you because it is in line with the will of God for you. In other words, just as it is His will that all those who are meant to do you good this year will remember to do so, it is also His will that you too will remember all those that you are supposed to do good to this year and do whatever good you are supposed to do to them or for them. Therefore, our desire must not just be for others to remember to do us good; rather, it must also be for us to remember to do others good. And there are people that God is expecting us to remember to do something good to. It may be because of certain roles that they or someone related to them have played in our lives in the past. Or it may be because we are just in the best position to help them.

For example, here is what is written about David concerning this matter: “David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”” (2Sam 9:1NIV) Why did he ask this question? It was because he remembered Jonathan, his friend. In fact, Jonathan was more than a friend to him; he was a brother as well. When he was alive, he loved him with all his heart and did all that was in his power to protect him from his wicked and jealous father, Saul.

But then, he died because of the sins of his father, and the kingdom was taken away from their family and given to David. So, at the time David was asking this question, nobody was paying any serious attention to what was going on in their family again. They had become a history to everyone. If David, then, had not made any move to find out if he could be of any help to them, they may never have gotten any serious help or attention in the land again. But by asking that question, he was able to learn that Jonathan actually had a crippled son that had been abandoned by almost everybody. And that was how the young man, Mephibosheth, was lifted out of the realm of shame and poverty and brought into the prosperity of the king. (Cf. 2Sam 9)

Now though we are not told how God rewarded David for doing this, bible accounts show us that, years later, when he was running away because of the rebellion of his son, Absalom, Mephibosheth’s servant, Ziba, was one of those that God used to supply him and his men food. But what if David had not allowed God to use him to lift them out of poverty and shame at the time he did, would the man have had anything to support him in his own days of misery? Even if they had something to support him, would they have thought about him at all, when he had not remembered them or done anything good for them when it was in his power to do so? It was very unlikely. (Cf. 2Sam 16:1-4)

So, if there are people you are in a position to support or do some good to now, and there will be such people, lose no time to help them in whatever way you can. That is because you may not be able to tell how God will reward you for the good you are doing to them today or when the good you are doing to them today will open a door for you too to receive some form of kindness that money or position cannot buy.

Do have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Categories
FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Use it for appreciation | By J.O. Lawal.

Date: December 05, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 31

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours without measure from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord. It gives me great delight to welcome you to the last month of this year, the month of December 2021. And I pray that your life and home will overflow with gladness and peace all through it, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now, as we come to this very last month of the year, I want to admonish you to use it to appreciate God and all the people He has used to bless you in one way or the other in the year. Why do you need to appreciate God? First, it is because that is His will for you (1Thess 5:18). The will of God is that everyone living in the world that He created and enjoying His provisions there would show themselves grateful to Him, regardless of the circumstances in which they find themselves. So, even if certain things are not working well for them in the world at the moment, they still need to learn to be thankful to Him for those things that are working well for them. That is because things could have been worse for them, if it had not been for Him (Ps 124).

Second, you need to appreciate God because it is what will open the door for you to receive more from Him and to also receive a perfection of what you have received from Him (Ps 50:23). See, whatever we have right now, however wonderful or unpleasant it may be, is not the best for us in this life. There is always something better in God’s hand, something beyond what our minds can handle or fathom (Eph 3:20). And until we learn to give thanks to Him for the gift of life and also for all the good things in our lives, we will not be showing ourselves as worthy to receive more from Him or to have Him perfect the things that are not working well for us.

So, instead of looking at the things that are not working well in your life and complaining about them, take out time to first consider carefully the things that are working well in your life and give God thanks for them. Remember that every good and perfect gift comes from Him. So, if anything is working well in your life at all, He is the one responsible for it. And you should acknowledge that and be truly thankful to Him for it. (Cf. Ps 103:1-5; Is 26:12; James 1:17)

Also, don’t allow yourself to get carried away because of the few good things God has done for you in life and forget to be thankful to Him. That is because there is always more to receive from Him. And if you will not be thankful for whatever He has already done for you, will you not be shutting the door to receive more from Him against yourself? Remember those ten lepers that Jesus healed. Only one of them came back to thank Him. Others were too excited to remember to come back and thank Him. And it was only that one man that came back to thank Him that received one more word of blessing from Him – your faith has made you whole. In like manner, it is only those who return to thank God this year end for all He has done for them in it that will receive more from Him and also a perfection of all He has done for them. (Cf. Luke 17:11-19)

How, then, do you show God that you are grateful to Him for all He has done for you this year? First, you show it by praising Him with your words, songs and dances (2Sam 6:14; Luke 17:15; Acts 3:8). Second, you show it by giving to Him. In other words, you give something for His cause, the cause of the gospel. So, if you have not deliberately done anything for the kingdom of God this year in appreciation of what He has been doing in your life, prepare to do so this month. Third, you show it by continually using whatever He has done for you to promote His righteousness.

Finally, as I pointed out before, it is not only God you are to appreciate this year end; you are also to appreciate all the people He has used to bless, protect or lift you up in the year. I know none of us can actually know all the people God has used or is using to make life better and safer for us. But there will always be some individuals that we can point to the remarkable roles they have played in our lives. And we should think of ways to appreciate them too. That is because if they had not yielded themselves to be used by God for us, certain exaltation or salvation we experienced in the year may probably have been delayed or postponed.

Now don’t make excuses about this. It does not always cost much to appreciate people, if we will learn to be thoughtful. So, be like David, who, in the day of his prosperity, sent gifts to all his friends that accommodated and provided for him during the time he was roaming about because of King Saul (1Sam 30:26-31). And may God abundantly supply you with all kinds of good things this December, so that you can be truly grateful to Him and to all the people He has used for you this year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have a great December 2021.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Categories
FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Be faithful in your service to Him | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 28, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Vol. 10, No. 30

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forevermore from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to the last Sunday of the month of November 2021. I pray that the goodness of God will overflow your life and home throughout the remaining days of the month and also the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we begin this new week, I want to admonish you to take your service to God seriously and handle it wholeheartedly. Why? First, it is so that God can use it to accomplish His purpose in the lives of men. When we do not serve God wholeheartedly and according to His will, we may taper with the results He wants to get with whatever we are doing. And that will not be for our good or the good of those we are serving on His behalf.

For example, though the Jews of the earthly days of our Lord Jesus had priests, teachers of the law, Pharisees and Sadducees, who were ministering to them, the Lord still said that they were like sheep without a shepherd. In other words, the ministry of their religious leaders was not achieving the purpose of God in their lives. Why? Was it because something was wrong with them? No! Rather, it was because most of these religious leaders of theirs were hypocrites, whose hearts were not truly devoted to serving God according to His will. (Cf. Matt 9:35-36; Matt 23)

Now if we compare their ministry to that of the first seven deacons of the church, we see a great difference. That is because even though these deacons were not ordained to preach but to handle the sharing of food among God’s people, their ministry still resulted in the spread of the word of God and the growth of the church. Why? It was because they ministered with hearts that were faithful to God. So, if we are faithful in our service to God, He is able to use whatever we are doing, however insignificant it may seem to men, to accomplish His good purpose in people’s lives. But if we are not faithful, as I said before, we will most likely hinder or destroy His work. (Cf. Acts 6:1-7)

Yes, of course, there are times that God ignores people’s unfaithfulness in serving Him and still accomplishes His purpose through what they are doing. For example, there was a time that Moses and Aaron disobeyed Him and still got results. In other words, in spite of the disobedience of these men, God still performed a miracle for His people through what they did. But did they get rewarded for their unfaithfulness? No! Instead, they got severely punished for it. (Cf. Num 20:1-13)

Also, when we look at the life of Samson, we see that one main lesson it teaches us is that it is possible to be unfaithful to God in our lives or in our service to Him and still be seeing Him at work in what we are doing. But then, as we also see through His life’s story, if we continue to act in unfaithfulness in our lives or service to God, there will certainly come a time in which He will have to allow us to face the consequences of our unfaithfulness, which may be too much for us to handle. (Cf. Judges 13-16)

So, if you are unfaithful in your service to God, know that there will be consequences. One of them is that you won’t be receiving any reward or praise from Him for whatever you are doing. And the forms other consequences may take is not something I or anyone else can talk about. But they may be very grievous. All of this is why you need to watch the quality of service you are giving to God. Remember that He cannot be deceived or mocked. That means what you sow is what you will get. (Cf. Ps 18:25-26; Gal 6:7-8)

If you sow deception, unfaithfulness or hypocrisy in your service to Him, the fruit you will reap will show it. And if you sow faithfulness, diligence and love in your service to Him, the fruit you will reap will also show it. So, stop lying to yourself about your service to God and face the truth about its quality. Yes, examine and test the quality of your service to God in the light of His word in order that you may do what is needful. Otherwise, you will have only yourself to blame when He begins to treat you as your service deserves. I pray that you will not end up losing your reward for serving Him or get severely punished for not serving Him appropriately, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have a fabulous week.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Categories
FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Don’t let them condemn you | Pst. J.O. Lawal


Date: November 21, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 29

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours immeasurably from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to another week of the month of November 2021. I pray that it will overflow with the goodness and favour of God for you and your home, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we begin this new week, let me remind you of the words of Paul, which say, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” (Col 2:16-17NIV) What is the point this apostle is making here? It is that we must not allow anyone to judge us according to the Law of Moses.

But why will Paul say this? It is because we will often come across people who will want to judge us according to this law. Yes, we will often find people who will want to measure our standing before God on the basis of our commitment to this law and ruin our liberty in Christ (Gal 2:4-5). I, for example remember how, when we just started holding church meetings, one of the ladies that joined our choir began to complain about some our sisters that wore trousers to church meetings. And when I asked to know why she was doing this, she said it was because what they were doing was not in agreement with what the bible says. And what part of the bible is she referring to? Evidently, it is the part in which we have the Law of Moses.

Unfortunately, this same sister used to wear trousers when she was not in church meetings. And when I asked her, “But I have seen you in town a number of times in trousers. If it is not wrong for you to wear them outside church meetings, why, then, should you think it is wrong for others to wear them to church meetings?” But instead of giving me a direct answer, she just said, “I just know that it is wrong, according to the bible, for a lady to wear what pertains to a man.” And that was how she stopped attending our church meetings altogether.

Now that is nothing but hypocrisy. It is hypocrisy to accept that something is wrong according to the God’s word and yet be doing it, whether openly or secretly. It is also hypocrisy to condemn in others what you yourself are doing. It gets even worse when you are condemning the innocent. And there are many of God’s children today who still wrongly condemn other children of His. Why? It is because they are not paying attention to the truth of Scriptures.

For example, as Paul shows us in that bible text above, one of the truths which many do not pay attention to is that the Christian must not allow himself to be judged at all on the basis of the Law of Moses. Why? It is because that law was never given to him by God. Rather, it was given to the Israelites when they just came out of Egypt as their national law and was later set aside by God after Jesus had fulfilled it and introduce a new and living way to serve Him. (Cf. Ex 24:12; Acts 15:1-29; Heb 8-10)

Is all this to say that the Christian cannot learn anything about God from the Law of Moses? No! He can learn a lot from it. And he should do his best to learn all he can from it. However, as Paul further shows us, that law is simply a shadow of what God wants His people to know about Him and life. The truth is in Christ Jesus. That means if you really want to know the truth about God and about life, it is the Lord Jesus Christ that you have to give your attention to. He is the way, the truth and the life. And no one can come to God or know God or life apart from Him. (Cf. John 14:4) So, it is the truth that is revealed in Scriptures about Him that we ought to pay attention to and get ourselves busy with. Also, it is the truth that is revealed about Him in Scriptures that we should always use as our basis for interpreting other things that are said in them. That is because it is the truth about Him that will make us free to live the kind of life God wants us to live.

All of this is why we must not allow anybody to pressure or trick us into living any kind of life that is not in agreement with what is revealed about our Lord Jesus in Scriptures. And it is also why we must refuse to feel bad or sad because certain individuals are angry with us for not embracing the law of Moses or some traditions of men that are contrary to the truth of Jesus. But we will feel sad or even succumb to the pressure of those who may want to lure us away from the truth of Jesus with their false religion or devotion, if we do not know the truth that is taught about Him in Scriptures and continue in it. So, make it your business to keep learning and acting on the truth revealed about Him in the Scriptures. And you will never be a victim of anybody’s error or excesses.

Do have a lovely week.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Categories
FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Be a Finisher |Pst. J.O. Lawal |November 14, 2021 |Number: Vol. 10, No. 28

Since God our Father is a finisher of everything He sets his hands on to do, we too, as His children, must cultivate the culture of finishing every good thing we lay our hands on to do

Beloved: grace and peace be yours immeasurably from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Welcome to another week of the month of November 2021. My prayer is that you will always be strengthened to be a finisher of every good thing you lay your hands on, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

From what we see in the bible about the character of God, He is not someone that starts something He does not intend to finish or have the ability to finish (John 4:34; Phil 1:6; Heb 12:2). So, if He begins any good work in our lives or for our lives, He will surely finish it, if we do not stop Him with our unbelief or lack of character. For example, many of the children of Israel that He brought out of Egypt did not make it into the land of Canaan. Why? Was it because He could not finish what He started? No! Rather, it was because of their unbelief, ingratitude and other manifestations of stubbornness. So, as long as we are not unbelieving or disobedient to God, we can expect Him to finish any good work He starts in us, including that of bringing us safely into His eternal kingdom. (Cf. 1Cor 10:1-12; Heb 3:19)

Now then, since God our Father is a finisher of everything He sets his hands on to do, we too, as His children, must cultivate the culture of finishing every good thing we lay our hands on to do or that we have entrusted to us. Remember that we are told in the bible to be imitators of God, as His dearly loved children (Eph 5:1). So, we must set out to do whatever we want to do, whether for God, for ourselves or for others, with a heart that is ready to see it through to the very end.

Why is this important? First, it is because it is the one that sees the job to the end that will bring to realization the full purpose of what is done. The one that does not finish the job will, to one degree or the other, affect the purpose for which the job is to be done. For instance, if our Lord Jesus had not finished the work God had sent Him to do here on earth, would our salvation have been possible? No! Or if a contractor that is supposed to construct a road does not finish the job, would those that the road is meant to serve enjoy it at all or as they ought to? No! So, when we do not finish any good work we start, we ruin or diminish the enjoyment of the purpose for which it is to be done.

Second, it is the one that gets the job done that is saving resources and time. But the one who starts something and does not finish wastes time, energy, resources and even life. And there are many like that who are nothing but life, resources, time and grace wasters. That is because they don’t ever get to finish any good thing they start. If we are like them, then, we too are wasting ourselves and perhaps others on nothing.

The third reason it is important we cultivate the culture of finishing any good thing we start or that is entrusted to us by men or God is that it is the one that gets the job done that can be trusted with more other jobs. The one that quits has proved something about himself, which is that he lacks the character of a finisher. And such a person, as our Lord points out, is not fit for service in the kingdom of God. Yes, men, sometimes, may overlook this lack of character on his part and still give him new or more responsibilities. But God will not overlook it until he learns to discipline himself to be a finisher of anything he starts (Luke 6:62).

Another reason it is important is that it is the one that finishes the good work he starts that gets rewarded and praised by God and even men. The one who abandons the work for any reason, however reasonable it may appear, won’t get the reward or praise of a finisher. Yes, sometimes, he may be commended by men for trying. But God never commends people for trying to do what He has entrusted to them. Rather, He commends them for getting it done. So, if we want to always receive God’s commendation on whatever He commits to us in life, we must learn to finish and not abandon it (Ex 40:33-34; 1Kings 7:51-8:11)

How, then, do we cultivate the character of a finisher? First, we must learn never to commit ourselves to anything (of God or of man) we have no intention of seeing through to the end. Second, we must always settle down to count the cost of anything we want to commit ourselves to doing before agreeing to embark on it or embarking on it (Luke 14:28-32). That means we must know our limitations and accept them. We must know what we have abilities and resources for and what we do not have abilities and resources for. Otherwise, we will often find ourselves starting things that we have no capacity or determination to finish. And may the Spirit of God strengthen our hearts to take these things seriously, so that we will stop wasting our lives on things that will not earn God’s praise or benefit humanity.

Do have a great week.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Categories
FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Make yourself useful | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: November 07, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 27

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to the second week of the month of November 2021. And I pray that God will empower you to increase in usefulness and profitability in His kingdom in the week and for the rest of your life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now I offered that prayer for you because God is very much concerned about the profitability of men. That is why He has blessed every living person with one form of ability or the other to make them useful to themselves and also to others in their world. It is also the reason He has blessed every one of His children with at least one spiritual gift to make them useful and profitable in His kingdom. So, if we are not useful in His kingdom, especially among those of our local Christian assembly, it will not be because we cannot be; rather, it will be because we have refused to be useful.

Yes, there will always be reasons to make ourselves useless to God and His people. It may be fear, personal matters, selfishness or laziness. But as our Lord points out to us, it is only those who make themselves useful with the gifts God has given to them that He will make more relevant in life and in His kingdom. Those who refuse to make themselves useful can only expect to diminish more and more in relevance, progress and other good things of life. (Cf. Luke 19:12-27)

So, if you don’t want to diminish in importance in God’s kingdom and also in other matters of life, start making yourself useful with your spiritual gifts, natural gifts, skills, education and resources. And you can start right here among us. All you need is to first think of what you can do with all that God has blessed you with to help everyone’s faith and then begin to do it in a spirit of submission.

Look, for example, at what is said about Apollos, that is, after he had been shown the way of the Lord in a very adequate way: “When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.” (Acts 18:27NIV) Did you see that? Immediately Apollos came among the Corinthian brethren, he began to do things that greatly helped their faith.

But what about you? What exactly are you doing now to help the faith of others in this assembly? What are you doing to make us all more devoted to God and to righteous living? If you are not doing anything to help all of us grow our faith, then, you are missing it. In fact, you are not different from anyone who may be working to destroy our faith. And there are indeed people in different assemblies of God today who are destroying or corrupting the faith of the brethren instead of helping it. Such people will not go unpunished, as revealed in the Scriptures, just as you too who are doing nothing to help the faith of your brethren will not go unpunished. (Cf. 1Tim 1:18-20)

So, wake up from your slumber and begin to make yourself useful to God and to His people. And you will be amazed at how your life will begin to increase in relevance among God’s people and also among those of this world.

Do have a splendid week.

Categories
FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Teaching you all over again | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: October 31, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 26

Beloved: grace and mercy to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I welcome you to another week of the year and pray that the joy and peace of the Spirit of God will fill your heart and home all through it, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

I once heard a preacher speak of how the board of elders of an assembly once wrote to their headquarters to have their pastor transferred. Their reason was that he had been preaching on just one subject since he got to their church, which was repent and be saved. And when the pastor was asked to explain himself, he said the problem is not that he does not have any other subject to preach to these brethren but that they have not acted at all on the one he has been preaching to them. “Why, then,” as he further pointed out, “should he teach them new things, when they will not act on the one thing that he has been teaching them?”

What is the point of this? It is that until God’s people begin to intelligently act on what they are being taught, preachers who know what they are doing will not stop going over it. This is one of the reasons Paul says to the Philippian brethren, “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.” (Phil 3:1NIV) Did you see that? Paul did not see it as a problem at all to go over again the same things he had taught these brethren before. Why? It was because doing so would help them in staying in the will of God.

Now I know that many of us often get offended when we are being reminded or taught again by our pastors something that we already know. But we must also understand that if we are acting well on what we know to be the truth of God to us, we won’t need anybody to remind or teach us to do so. It is when we are acting as if we did not understand what we have been taught or like a forgetful hearer or like a stubborn student that this becomes necessary.

For example, I have personally observed that even though the subject of appreciating our pastors and other church leaders, who regularly feed us with the word of God and watch over us by the power of God, has been severally taught to many of God’s people, only few still take it seriously. I am saying that in most of our assemblies only very few people often personally and deliberately appreciate their leaders not just with words of mouth but also with their material things. What about others? Do they not know this? In most cases, they know. But they won’t just act accordingly. (Cf. Luke 10:1-8; 1Cor 9:14; Gal 6:6)

It will, in fact, shock you to know that many children of God have never in their lives deliberately approached their pastors to simply say, “Thank you sir for the good work you are doing,” or to just do something for them that will make them happy. But if these same brethren hear that their church leaders are involved in some sexual scandal or financial mess, they will most likely not hesitate to spread the bad news or to use whatever means they have to totally destroy them. It is no big wonder, then, that the prayers and words of blessings of many preachers don’t settle on their brethren to work for them.

Or do you really think that it is every word of prayer or blessing that is said on behalf of people that may rest on them or work for their good? No! Jesus once said this to His apostles: “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.” (Luke 10:5-7NIV) Can you see that? A word of blessing can return to the one who offers it, if the person he is offering it for does not respond appropriately. So, even if your pastor is praying for you to prosper and do well in life all the time but you are not relating to him as God wants you to, his prayers of blessing may not settle on your life and work for you as they ought to.

Unfortunately, many of God’s people don’t understand that the reason they are not prospering under their pastors in most cases is not that something is wrong with those pastors spiritually. Rather, it is that they are not relating to them as God wants them to. And if they will repent of their disobedience and stop taking the things they ought to have used to support their pastors to some prayer mountains, they will begin to see that they can prosper even more under the daily ministration of those pastors than under the once in a while ministration of the so-called anointed prophets they are dying to see. But will they repent? (Cf. Matt 10:40-42)

In any case, my point all along is that if your pastor has to go over certain bible topics again and again with you, it may not be because he does not have something else to teach you; rather, it may be because you are not yet working with what you have been taught as you are supposed to. And if you are not working well with what you have been well taught, it may be that you do not yet understand it as you should or that you are being a forgetful hearer or that you are just being stubborn. None of this, of course, is acceptable. So, stop being slow to learn, forgetful or stubborn and begin to take the things you are being taught seriously. That way, you can leave the elementary teachings of the Christian faith and move on to maturity (Heb 5:11-6:3).

Do have a great week.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Categories
FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

A servant of everyone | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: October 24, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 25

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to the last week of the month of October 2021. My prayer is that you will spend the remaining days of this year in the fullness of the joy of the Spirit, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we begin this week, let me remind you of the words of our Lord Jesus that say, “…If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35NIV) From what the Lord says here, it is clear that God is not against His children becoming the best or first in life. In fact, among the things He promised to do for the children of Israel, if they would obey His commandments, was to make them the head and not the tail among the nations of the world (Deut 28:13). So, it is not against His wish for you and me to be the head and not the tail wherever we find ourselves in life.

However, how do we become the kind of head God wants us to be, not just in this world but also in His eternal kingdom? How do we occupy a place of significance in His scheme of things? That is what the Lord is speaking to us about in that bible text. And He says it is by functioning as everybody’s servant.

Now what does it mean to function as a servant of everybody? Does it mean to become an errand boy or girl for everyone? Or does it mean for to become everybody’s waste bin, to become someone that everyone feels free to treat shamefully? No! What, then, does it mean?

Well, we can understand what it means by looking at the way our Lord Jesus Himself functioned when He was here in the world. Remember that He said that He did not come into the world to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). How, then, did He serve men? Was it by becoming their errand boy or someone that they could always treat as they liked? No! Rather, it was by going from place to place, doing those things that would bring about the fulfilment of the will of God in people’s lives.

Of course, there were times that He was insulted and despised by people because of the things He said about His relationship with God. In fact, He was eventually treated shamefully and killed because He called Himself the Son of God. But all through the period that He ministered among His people, He was highly respected by all of them, including His enemies.

So, being a servant of everyone is not about presenting ourselves as individuals that have no sense of worth and that people can treat anyhow. Rather, it is about living in such a way that the things we do and say are directly or indirectly bringing about the fulfilment of God’s purpose in the lives of those around us and those with whom we are in fellowship. And if this is the way we are functioning, then, we will never mind doing even things that are meant for slaves or errand boys and girls, inasmuch as they will result in the fulfilment of God’s purpose in the lives of others.

There was a time, for example, in which our Lord Jesus washed the feet of all His apostles, a job that was meant for slaves. He did that to show them that what makes a man great is not merely his title or position but his willingness to do whatever was necessary to serve those under his authority, even if it means for him to wash their feet. And did that make those apostles despise Him? No! Rather, it made them respect Him all the more. Also, it illustrated for them what He had been teaching them all along that anyone who wants to become first or great in the kingdom of His Father must be willing to serve others in any way that would bring about the fulfilment of God’s will in their lives. (Cf. John 13:1-17)

If we too, then, want to occupy great positions in the kingdom of God our Father, we must be willing to serve one another and those in our world in any way that will bring the will of God to pass in their lives. But are we going to humble ourselves to function like this or are we going to keep functioning with an exaggerated opinion of ourselves? My prayer is that our hearts will be made humble to serve all the people God wants us to serve in ways that will result in our greatness in His eternal kingdom. Amen.

Have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Categories
FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

God is at work in you | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: October 17, 2021 | Number: Vol. 10, No. 24

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours abundantly from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Redeemer. I am delighted to welcome you to this new week. My prayer is that everything that concerns your life will be perfected without delay, so that your life can be exactly where God wants it to be, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now I am confident that this will indeed be the case with you because the one at work in you is God Himself. Paul, speaking to the Philippian-Christians about the need for them to take their salvation seriously, reminds them that they can do this because God is at work in them to will and to act according to His good purpose (Phil 2:12-13). Think about that. The salvation of these brethren is not up to them alone but also to God. Yes, there are things they have to be doing in order to fully experience the salvation that Jesus has bought for them. But they will not be doing these things all by themselves. They cannot even do these things, whatever they are, all by themselves. The one that will make sure they are able to do them is God. And Paul assures them that He will surely get the job done. Isn’t that lovely to know? It is.

In like manner, because we too have become children of God through Jesus Christ, we now have Him at work in our lives. Before we became His children, it was Satan that was working in our lives and messing them up in different ways. That is why the bible calls him the spirit at work in those who are disobedient to God (Eph 2:2). But now that we have become children of God, He has come to live in us and to take charge of our lives. Yes, He has come to live in us to work. And what kind of work has He come to do in us? Everything that is consistent with His good purpose for us!

Therefore, the fulfilment of God’s good purpose for us is not up to us alone; it is up to Him as well. And this is why we can be confident that our lives will ultimately be what they are meant to be, regardless of where they are right now. Can you relate to that? God is able to make your life what it is meant to be, regardless of where He picked it up. So, Paul says to the Philippians, “…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil 1:6NIV) And David also says, “The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me…” (Ps 138:8NIV)

Did you see that? We can trust God to finish in us what He started. Yes, we can trust Him to fulfil His good purpose concerning us. All we need is to cooperate with Him every step of the way. He will put in us all the desires that are consistent with His purpose for us and also provide us with everything we need to actualise these desires. But we have to love what He wants to make of our lives and also be willing take whatever steps He wants us to take to accomplish this (Isaiah 1:19).

Now do we love what God wants to make of our lives? Are we willing to be all that He is working in us to make us? If we are, then, we will take His word seriously. We will give ourselves to reading, studying and meditating on it, so that we may act according to what it says (Joshua 1:8). Then we will not be arrogant, stubborn or discouraged when He disciplines us. Instead, we will accept His discipline with love and respect, knowing that, as our Father, He has our best in mind and will only discipline us in love (Heb 12:5-13).

Why did the most of the children of Israel that Moses led out of Egypt not make it to the Promised Land, despite everything God did for them and among them? The first reason was that they did not take God’s word seriously. The second reason was that they would not accept His discipline. And if we do not want all the work that He is doing in our lives to amount to nothing, then, we must not be like them. Instead, we must learn to take His word and His discipline very seriously. My prayer is that your heart will be strengthened to act accordingly, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have a glorious week.

Copyright © 2021, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)